From: none@none.com99   
      
   Evolution is the name that really brought these to the public attention,   
   but lots of companies are selling them.  Fein, Makita, Milwaukee and   
   others.  Basically a lower RPM version of an abrasive chop saw using a   
   carbide blade for cutting mild steel and aluminum.   
      
   Now I know that regular wood cutting tools can cut aluminum and even to   
   a lesser degree steel, but this seems to be a departure from that.  I've   
   cut aluminum on a table and on a radial arm saw.  The biggest issue is   
   chip welding (with aluminum) filling up the gullets of the teeth.  Oil,   
   wax, and other things can reduce but not eliminate that problem due to   
   the heat generated.  Its why I run flood coolant for all my CNC machines   
   cutting aluminum.   
      
   A typical chop saw runs around 4000rpm.  These slower (slower) chop saws   
   run around 1300 which should reduce heat buildup.  Are any of you guys   
   running these regularly for aluminum?  It does appear that there are   
   aluminum specific blades available.  Do they work a lot better than the   
   mild steel cutting blades that normally come with one of these saws?  Do   
   you experience chip welding cutting aluminum with one of these saws with   
   either blade?   
      
   How do you like it?   
      
   I do have a hand held metal cutting circular saw already.  I've used if   
   for stainless steel sheet (very hard on blades) and for aluminum thicker   
   than its rated for.  Its about the size of a carpentry beam saw.  It   
   works okay, but it doesn't "seem" to be any slower than my Skil worm   
   drive I use for wood cutting.  To be fair I haven't put a sticker on it   
   so I can check it with the optical tach.   
      
   I also have a couple horizontal band saws.  One I run with coolant for   
   aluminum.  They work, but they are "Harbor Freight" saws.  Keeping them   
   aligned and square is a constant chore.  Usually I just cut the pieces   
   long, then square and cut to length on the manual mill beofre moving the   
   blank to one of the CNC mills.  I waste a couple inches over the course   
   of chopping blanks from a 12ft (standard stock length) piece of bar   
   stock.  A couple inches of waste is no big deal, but a couple inches   
   added onto the remnant at the end of the bar can mean one more blank and   
   one more completed part.   
      
      
   --   
   Bob La Londe   
   CNC Molds N Stuff   
      
      
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